Improvement in puddling and heating furnaces



5 Sheets- Sheet 1. R. S. CASSON. Puddling and Heating Furnace.

Flo-1 pl y Patented Se 7. a MW, e k w M 5 Sheet sSheet 3.

R. S. GASSON.

Puddling and Heating Furnace. No. 219,907. Patented Sept. 23,1879.

.UNI'IEDf ST-ATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARDS. oAsson, ornoum) OAK WORKS, BRIERLEY HILL, COUNTY or STAFFORD, ENGLAND.

. IMPROVEMENT IN PUDDLI'NG AND HEATING FURIQWAQYES.

. Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 219,907, dated September 23, 1879; application filed August 31,1878; patented in England, November 9, 1875, and January 21, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I Brennan SMITH OnssornofRound Oak Works, Brierley Hill, in

in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of the construction and combination of the parts hereinafter described, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, of puddlingfurnaces heated by gaseons fuel, my said invention consisting principally of a mechanical. feeder for feeding the fuelto the gas-producer or generator combination and arrangements of parts of the gasproducer and for. heating and conducting the air or blast by which the combustion of the gaseous fuel is effected; and also the construction and arrangement of the parts of the puddling or heating chamber or ba'sin.

My said improvements are combined in the puddling-furnace representedin the accompanying drawings, {Figures 1 and 1 representing a longitudinal section, and Figs. 2, and 2"? a; horizontal section, of the furnace, Figs. 1 and 2 showing the gas producer or generator,-

and Figs. 1 and 2? the puddling-chamber, whichpuddling-chainber forms, with the gas producer or generator, a single structure; The horizontal section, Figs. 2 and 2, istaken on difierent levels, the part at AA being taken on the dotted line A A, Fig. 1, and the part at BB being taken onthe dotted line B B, 'Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, partly 'in' elevation, of the gas producer or generator.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings. i

a is the generator in which the gaseous fuel -isproduced, the said generator being supplied with fuel fromthe. hopper I), through the stoking-hole b The fuel fed to the generator a consists of slack or small coal or fuel of an inferior quality. In the hopper b is a man-hole, andlid, at b for gaining access to it.

The fuel is fed to the generator at from the hopper by a mechanical feederconstructed, preferably, as follows In the base of the feeding-hopper b is a roller, 0, having teeth or projections of the form represented on its periphery. A slow rotation is given to thelfeedingroller 0 by the worin and toothed gearing at d, the said gearing being driven from asmall steam-engine at f on the generator, as seen in Fig. 3, or by a band and pulley. 'As the feeding-roller a slowly rotates the slack or small coal resting in the spaces between i the teeth or projections on its upper face is carried down and delivered to the generator through the stoking-hole b so as to maintain a column of fuel always in the generator.

For the purpose of regulating the quantity of fuel fed to the generator by thei'eedingroller 0 without altering the speed of the said roller, the space at the feeding side of the said roller is made adjustable in the manner represented in Figs. 1 and 3-thatisto say, at the feeding side of the base of thehopper is a hingedflap or feed-plate, e, and by means of rotating screws 0 6 bearing against the said plate or flap the latter may be adjusted nearer to or farther from the feeding-roller 0,. and the feeding-space thereby increased or diminished,

as will be understood by an examination of Fig. 1. The said adjustable plate or flap e also serves to crush any large coalwhich may be fed between the roller and thel said flap. g g are dampers or slides in the stoking-hole W, for shutting off the supply of fuel when required. j i

The fire-grate of the generator is constructed as follows: The wall a of the generator isinclined, and at the bottom of the said inclined wall is a series of step-like bars, h h, through the openings between which'air or blast is delivered for effecting thelow combustion of the solid fuel in the generator and the production of gaseous fuel. In place of the step-like bars h h an ordinary grate-bottom maybe employed in the generator. The spaces between the fire'bars h h open in front into the closed chamber 1', formed by the hinged fire-doors k k and the side walls of the generator. Air or blast is delivered into the chamber 0 from the pipe Z, the said pipe receiving blast from the main blast-pipe m, which is supplied by a fan or other blast-producing apparatus.

A regulated quantity of blast is admitted to the pipe I by a valve at p, the quantity passing through the said valve and pipe and being supplied to the generator being indicated by the index at q.

By means of the blast thus supplied to the grate a low combustion of the fuel in the generator is effected, and a gaseous fuel consisting essentially of carbonic oxide produced. The stream of gaseous fuel passes from the generator by the gas-flue 1", which gaseous fuel, meetin g and being thoroughly mixed with currents of heated air, supplied as hereinafter described, is ignited, and a perfect and vigorous combustion of the said fuel effected.

The flame and heated air pass over the bridge 8 to the puddling-chamber. The currents of heated air described are delivered on the upper and lower sides of the stream of gaseous fuel. These currents of air are heated and conducted to the gas-flue in the following manner: The upper current of heated air is delivered by the side vertical tlue, 1, in one side of the wall of the gas-flue 1*, while the lower current of heated air is delivered by the vertical flues u, the upper flue, i, being in communication with and receiving air from the said flues u. The flue t passes down at the side of the flue through which the stream of gaseous fuel passes, the communication with flue u being made at any suit-able point between the heating'chamber and the bridge-wall.

The air supplied to the fines tand u is heated in the following way: 1* is a blast-pipe in connection with the main blast-pipe m, and provided with a valve at p for regulating the quantity of air passing to the furnace, the said valve being connected with the index at x. The lower end of the blast-supply pipe r passes into the hot-air box 10, underneath the floor of the gas-generator, the said box being heated by the said generator. into the vertical flues u u. By the passage of the air or blast through the box to the said air is heated thereby, and by traversing the heated ilues u u of the generator the air is further heated before it is delivered to the gaseous fuel in the gas-flue r.

The heated air may be delivered to the gaseons; fuel either in sheets or jets. y y are waste-gas outlets from the generator, in connection with the pipe 3 passing from the roof of the generator, and being provided with a safety or escape valve at 3 By means of the damper r in the gas-flue r, worked by the rack and pinion represented, the gaseous fuel passing through the gas-flue may be regulated or cutoff. Instead of feeding the gaseous fuel into the puddling-chamber at the low point indicated, it may be introduced where convenient at a higher point.

I will now describe the puddling-chamber. It consists of a circular basin, z 2 which is built up of a series of curved side plates, 2 bolted to gether by flanges, the curved side plates rest- The said box 10 opens' ing on a flat circular bottom, z, made in one or more parts. Around thesummits of the side plates, 2 of the circular paddling-chamber are hollow bridge-platesz. The puddlingchamber 2 z is supported by its bottom restin g upon a series of spheres or balls of iron, 2, resting in a shallow water-dish, z

The construction described of the puddlingchamber permits the sides 2 z and bottom 2 to expand and contract freely on change of temperature. There is, in consequence, little or no strain upon any of the parts, and the puddling-chamber lasts a long time, there being no liability to fracture by change of temperature.

By the evaporation of the water in the water-dish 2 the bottom of the puddling-chamber is kept cool and the water in the waterdish circulates freely.

The waste heat from the paddling-chamber may pass to a dandy or preliminary heatin g-chamber, in which the pigiron is heated before it is passed into the paddling-chamber.

My improved furnaces are particularly applicable to double furnaces, or furnaces having the said dandies or preliminary heating-chambers; but I do not limit myself to the use of the said dandies in combination with my improved furnaces.

Having now described the nature of my invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention of improvements in puddling and heating furnaces to be heated by gaseous fuel- 1. In a gas-generator, the combination, with the fuel-chamber having an inclined wall and grate formed of step-like bars at one side, and privided with a closed ash-pit and means for regulating the supply of air to said ash-pit, of a continuous mechanical feeder, adjustable as to its rate of speed, the same being composed of a hopper, adjustable feeding devices for delivering the fuel from said hopper to aforesaid fuel-chamber, and means, such as a steam-engine, for continuously and regularly operating said feeding devices, substantially as described.

2. In a gas-generator, the combination of parts for heating and conducting air or blast, and for delivering the said heated air on one or more sides of the stream of gaseous fuel, so as to produce a vigorous combustion thereof, the said parts consisting of the air-heatin g chamber, located directly beneath the fuelchamber of the generator, the top or roof of said heating-chamber being the bottom of said fuel-chamber, and a flue or flues connected with said heatingchamber and arranged to deliver air therefrom to the stream of gaseous fuel, substantially as described.

3. In a paddling-furnace, the puddlingchamher or basin, resting on supporting spheres or balls, substantially as described.

4. The puddlingor heatingchamber or basin, of circular form, constructed in parts for allowing freedom of expansion and contraction, in combination with an open water-dish and a number of spheres or balls placed in said dish fourth, a puddling-furnace with circular pudfor supporting said puddling chamber or basin, (Hing-chamber resting on spheres or balls in an substantiallyas described. open Water-dish, and provided withabridge- 5. The combination of l the following elewall of shape to correspond therewith, subments, viz.: first, an automatic feeding mechstantially as described.

anism; second, a generator for supplying gas- RICHARD SMITH OASSON. [L. SJ eous fuel; third, a hearing-chamber and dis- Witnesses: tributing-flues arranged so that the heat-from GEORGE SHAW,

the partial combustion in said generator ele- RICHARD SKERRETT,

vates the temperature of the air therein; and, Of 37 Temple Street, Birmingham. 

